Green Island fishing pier is an excellent place for children, offering restaurants to dine and tours and submarine tours to experience.
Over the past several seasons, numerous sheepheads have been caught at this pier; several in the 16-18 pound range were reported.
Fishing
Green Island Fishing Pier provides an enjoyable and safe experience for families to experience the water. Close to the ferry terminal, it boasts food vendors and bathrooms. Plus, if you’re a fishing enthusiast looking for fishy goodies, bring your license!
Bass is still the primary catch at this pier, with sand bass making up 60%, calicos 30%, and spotted (bay) basses 10% of total catches. Bait choices vary with season, but popular options include cut anchovies, squid, or strips of fresh mussel as bait; artificial lures are increasingly used by regulars, too.
Fluke fishing at the pier has been consistently productive, with pink and white Spro bucktails between 1/2 to 1 ounce proving most effective. They should be fished near the bottom with slow backcasts for best results – try fishing during the first hour or so of each outgoing tide for optimal results.
The bottom of the pier consists of both sand and mud, with an abundance of eelgrass covering approximately two-thirds of its length and covered with barnacles and mussels that attract many species of fish – casting out with a Carolina rig or fishing with bloodworms, clams, or fresh squid often results in numerous bass or halibut being caught!
Other popular catches include sargo, spotfin croaker, and black croaker, often found at either end of a pier and occasionally off its middle section. Small sculpins are also frequently caught.
Unusual catches at the pier have included several Pacific angel sharks (Squatina californica), thresher sharks, horn sharks, butterfly rays, and rare banded guitarfish species.
Though currents are usually mild, this pier can be highly hazardous during high winds and surf conditions. To remain safe, it’s best to steer clear of the west wing, which was recently constructed as a boat/kayak launch dock and restricts casting inshore area; on the contrary, when conditions permit, the East Wing provides much safer fishing opportunities provide excellent results when not overcrowded.
Facilities
Long Island offers plenty of fishing opportunities, from charters such as Celtic Quest to an abundance of fishing piers that provide amenities like restrooms, free parking, and fish cleaning stations – not to mention restaurants, bait and tackle stores, and even playgrounds for children!
The Green Island Fishing Pier can be found near Jones Beach along Wantagh State Parkway’s third bridge on its southbound side, near its third bridge on its northbound side, and offers anglers access to uninhabited Green Island and its waters, which boasts an abundance of game and bottom fish species. Furthermore, this fishing hotspot is one of Long Island’s premier destinations for anglers.
Last week at Green Island Fishing Pier in Maryland, Mathew Clark enjoyed an assortment of short sea bass and triggerfish while Fafework Alemu made several short fluke runs along Construction Dock for brief chance. Station Chef Victor Singh dunked clams onto Construction Dock and managed two nice triggerfish while Rob, the musician, and Ed Walsh caught several seas floundering at Field 10.
Tom and Waheed caught winter flatties up to 25 inches in Reynolds Channel, while on the following day, FDNY Alum John Triptree saw two summer flatties up to 31 inches at nearby bridges.
On Saturday at the Oak Beach Pier, Randy Vollmer employed bloodworms on the north end and reeled in 16 jumbo spots before switching over to fresh spearing and collecting another 15 jumbo dots.
For those interested in night fishing, Long Island’s Pier offers lights to aid you. A peaceful way to spend an evening on the water while taking in Long Island’s iconic sunsets! Restrooms and a snack bar are also provided on this pier; children nine years or under may fish free with paying adults; it is open Friday-Sunday from dusk till sunset.
Food
Nothing is quite as enjoyable as spending your summer fishing at Green Island Fishing Pier in Wantagh State Parkway just north of Jones Beach. Open daily from 6 a.m. until dusk, this accessible fishing pier provides anglers access to an assortment of species.
The pier has benches, fish cleaning stations, ice machines, and other amenities to make your trip comfortable and enjoyable. For optimal fishing conditions, it is advised that you visit during low tide, as this is when fish become more active and are likely to notice your bait – plus, waves tend to be less potent during this period, providing more accessible fighting opportunities should a catch arise!
Green Island Pier’s preferred method for targeting fluke during this recent cold snap has been using a small bucktail dressed with Berkley Gulp as bait to attract both large and small fish species to its waters. Flukes are most easily targeted during the first and last hour of any incoming tide; during these hours is your best opportunity.
Scup and sea robins have been the focus of Pier fishing this week. On Friday, Station Chef Victor Singh made headlines for catching an impressive 3-1/2 pound scup from the Construction Dock of the Pier; as well as landing some keepers porgys and triggerfish.
On Saturday at the Pier, Massapequa Mike Moilter caught another giant fish. The 12-inch fluke limit set by the Pier was no match for Mike’s catch!
The Pier is fully prepared to welcome Father’s Day this Sunday with everything needed for a relaxing, enjoyable fishing trip this Father’s Day weekend. Specials on bait and tackle packages should not be missed, so visit this weekend and discover everything it offers!
Parking
At the southwest corner of Green Island’s Third Wantagh Bridge lies this access area featuring a state-of-the-art fishing pier that runs under and perpendicular to it. It provides anglers with free parking and an excellent fishing spot and is one of Long Island’s best-stocked piers!
As well as its pier, the park also features two temporary trailers that serve as restrooms and the park office. These trailers are ideal for visitors to catch largemouth bass or trout!
The Pier is open daily from sunrise to sunset and closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Days. Arrive early so as not to lose your spot as parking spaces fill quickly! Activities available here include fishing, picnicking, swimming, surfing, and being popular family destinations with young children.
If you plan to visit the pier, bring a state sportfishing license and beach vehicle permit from Jones Beach or Robert Moses State Park administration offices or Belmont Lake State Park’s permit office. You can purchase these permits.
This pier offers excellent opportunities to catch trout and redfish during the spring and summer months; bluefish could show up during the September-October months. Bottom rigs baited with clams and squid are sure to produce results all season; alternatively, bucktails and soft plastics cast along shadow lines of both Wantagh bridges can also yield results; it also makes an excellent destination for night tide striper fishing!
Reducing car parking at the pier can be done several ways. Carpool with friends or fellow anglers; take public transit; ride your bicycle and walk there if possible; use bike racks on campus to reach it quickly and reduce pollution levels; walk or use public transit to get there if biking/walking doesn’t appeal. However, please remember that these lands are fragile, protecting many culturally significant sites; please avoid driving rental cars on Papakolea Beach’s road as this would constitute an offense punishable by fines of up to $1,000!
